


The Things You Do For Love

by Fuzzyface



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Allergies, F/F, Gen, reluctant dog parent beau
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 06:47:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19145704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fuzzyface/pseuds/Fuzzyface
Summary: Beau loves Jester, and unfortunately she also loves Jester’s dog, and if she has to suffer a little bit because of that, well, nobody ever said love was easy





	The Things You Do For Love

Fjord got about three steps out of his room, still blinking sleep out of his eyes and trying fruitlessly to crack the bone-deep stiffness in his back, before almost tripping directly over Beau. He caught himself against the opposite wall, muttering a curse as Beau swore much more colorfully in reply.

He glared down at her, watching as she brushed her hair out of her face and went right back to doing push-ups directly outside his damn door as if nothing had happened. “Why’re you doing push-ups in the middle of the hallway?”

“Why’re _you_ not minding your own business?” She grunted in reply, shooting him a brief look before switching to one hand and continuing breezily.

He rolled his eyes, stepping over her and pausing outside her and Jester’s room. Why she wasn’t just doing her morning workouts in there was beyond him, but Beau liked to show off. Maybe she was hoping Yasha would wander by. 

Still, that reminded him. “Is Jes in your room right now? I wanted to ask her about something.” He rapped once against the doorframe and, not hearing any accented voice inform him that she’s ‘totally naked right now’, eased the door open.

“What?” Beau glanced up, pausing halfway through a push-up in an almost comical pose. She frowned, trying to scramble into a sitting position. “No she’s - do _not_ open the door I swear to-”

She and Fjord’s train of thought were both cut off at the sound of an excited bark before Nugget skidded into view, big dopey eyes wide and tongue flopping around like a dead fish. He paused for a moment, sizing up Fjord with his tail whirling like an out of control windmill, before he noticed Beau. A jubilant yip and a wiggle of his hindquarters was all the warning they got before - _fft!_ \- he disappeared into thin air.

“Ah hell,” Beau managed, before there was another rift in space and sixty pounds of dog deposited itself onto her back. She wheezed sharply as all the air was squeezed from her lungs and Nugget set to work licking every inch of her face and neck.

Fjord chuckled softly as he watched Beau squirm under the overexcited mutt, her attempted commands - to sit, stay, _get off_ \- interrupted by a muzzle stuck in her face and a wet tongue slopping across the length of her cheek. “Reckon he missed you?”

Beau shot him a look that could wilt flowers and he finally took pity on her. Bending his knees slightly he snapped his fingers and gave a short whistle through his teeth. Nugget’s head perked up, tongue still lolling out of the side of his mouth, and in an instant he vanished from Beau’s back and reappeared to dance happily around Fjord’s legs.

Beau rolled over with a cough, pushing herself to her knees. “Nugget!” She called, digging into her pocket. The dog froze from where he’d been tugging at Fjord’s bootstraps, watching intently as Beau produced a ball bearing, rolled it between her fingers for a moment, and sent it sailing back into her room.

Nugget took off like a shot, nails skittering on the wooden floor as he snuffled around frantically for the ball. Beau lunged forward, sliding on her knees and catching the door handle. She got the briefest glimpse of Nugget’s sad-eyed look of betrayal before the door slammed shut between them.

“How’s a door stop him in the first place? Can’t he just -” Fjord mimed popping out of existence, “- leave?”

“He’s a _dog_. If there’s a door in the way he doesn’t think there’s anything on the other side.” Beau’s voice was oddly strained as she rolled over to sit back against the wall with a huff. Behind her, Nugget whined plaintively and scratched at the door. She thumped her fist lightly against the wood in reply.

Fjord tilted his head. “Well, that was my fault. Didn’t realize you were keeping the little devil locked up.”

“We're not,” Beau sighed. “But Jester’s out and when she’s not around to baby him he -” an uncharacteristic look of embarrassment flickered across her face, “he follows me around.”

Fjord tried to play off his snort of laughter as a sympathetic hum. He reached out a hand a Beau, a peace gesture as much as an offer to pull her off the ground, but she hesitated, holding up a hand and turning away with a wrinkle of her nose.

“Heh- Hang on,” Beau went strangely still for a moment, eyes squeezing shut before she snapped forward at the waist and sneezed once, twice, three times before groaning and sniffing loudly.

“Gesundheit,” Fjord said, lips quirking slightly in amusement.

“Nuh- Not done,” Beau managed to get out before sneezing harshly once more and breaking off into a cough. “Ugh,” she groaned, scrubbing the back of her hand against her nose.

“Y’alright?”

“Fuckin’ peachy,” Beau grumbled. She pushed herself to her feet, leaning back against the door and sniffing again. For all the nonchalance in her posture, her face was staining an unfortunate blotchy red.

Fjord weighed his options for a moment, wondering if she’d resent him more if he pushed it or if he left her alone like she clearly wanted. Then again, that might not be the right question to be asking himself. With the reluctant knowledge that he wouldn’t be getting breakfast anytime soon, he sidled carefully into the empty space beside Beau, leaning against the wall with a casual tilt of his head. “You sure?”

Beau frowned at him curiously, opening her mouth to reply before closing it and turning her frown to the tips of her boots. “Yeah I - will be, in a minute,” she said slowly “I’m fine, it’s - it’s stupid.” She sniffed again and tried to turn it into a cough. If she pretended she couldn’t feel the liquid running down her upper lip then it wasn’t there, dammit.

“Are you-” Fjord knit his brows, taking in the mess of Beau’s face, the faint rasp in her breath. It was… familiar. In a way that made his nose itch in sympathy. “Is this because of the dog?”

“No,” Beau snapped forcefully. Almost immediately she faltered a bit. “I mean, maybe, I don’t know. I can’t like - I can’t prove it or anything. And it’s not - it’s not - look if you tell Jester I’ll fucking kill you.” The glare she fixed him with was only somewhat diminished by how watery her eyes were.

“Uh,” His look of slow comprehension must have come off as affronted because she dropped her gaze with a dejected sniff. 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean that,” she mumbled.

Fjord frowned in confusion, seeming like he’d not totally processed the situation yet. He glanced between Beau and the door behind them, where Nugget was still whining loudly and occasionally pawing at the wood. “But - he sleeps in you and Jester’s room?”

“Yeah, no shit,” she said, sniffing loudly again. “It’s fine, I deal.”

“You’ve got the balcony though, why’s he not sleeping out there?”

“Because he’s _Jester’s_ dog,” Beau sighed, shooting him an annoyed look. Quieter, she added, “she loves him, I’m not gonna take that away from her.” The _‘and I love her’_ wasn’t said, but didn’t need to be. Fjord gave what he hoped was a sympathetic grunt as Beau scrubbed at her nose again.

“Why don’t you just tell her? She’s not gonna be mad’t you.” Fjord scratched his head, jabbing his thumb behind him in the general direction of the garden. “Nugget can sleep outside with Deucie. Won’t even need to be lonely.”

“Yeah but - ugh, I _know_ she wouldn’t be mad, but she’d make that fucking sad face and - and it’s not that big of a deal.” The tight cough she followed the statement with didn’t lend much credibility, and she frowned deeply like she could glower her own body into submission.

“Besides,” she said, turning on Fjord again, “you’re one to fuckin’ talk. I _know_ you let Frumpkin climb all over you because Caleb gets all puppy-dog eyes at the idea of the two of you being friends or whatever.”

Fjord shot her an annoyed glare, but she was back in her element now, grinning smugly as she jabbed an elbow into his side.

“Bet he sleeps on your pillow when you’re gone and you don’t even chase him off because it might hurt Caleb’s _feelings_ -”

“Alright,” Fjord said sharply, any trace of cockiness entirely gone from his face now, which was flushed about as much as Beau’s nose was. “That’s the last time I ever try to help you out.”

Beau’s laugh dropped off into a cough that hurt just to listen to, and Fjord winced sympathetically. He couldn’t remember seeing Beau like this before, and the guiltier part of him wondered if Beau’s really that good at hiding or if that’s on him for not paying enough attention. Beau could hide things very well when she wanted to, he assured himself.

Even for Beau, though, this was a strange line to draw. “Y’know, you could have told her before she got the dog in the first place. This is Jester we’re talking about, she would have just bought a different pet and been just as happy.”

Beau coughed again and returned to finding the tips of her boots absolutely fascinating. “I didn’t… know,” she mumbled.

Fjord’s eyebrow twitched without his permission and Beau’s defenses went back up immediately. “Well when was I _supposed_ to figure it out? It’s not like my parents let me have a dog growing up, and the Cobalt Soul sure as shit didn’t allow pets.” She turned away, scowling at the memory. “And we only even had Nugget for like a week before we accidentally stuck him with Jester’s mom, and anyway it was fine when we were just camping out, but then Caleb started doing his bubble every night, and now we share a room, and - and I haven’t been able to breathe through my fucking nose for the past month.”

There had also been the crushing relief upon realizing that the tightness in her chest every night wasn’t because Jester had rolled over in her sleep and cuddled up just a little too close to Beau’s side. But Fjord didn’t need to hear about that.

“Is…” Fjord paused, dawning understanding coming over his eyes, and he fixed Beau with the worst shit-eating grin she’d ever seen, “is _that_ why you snore so damn bad everytime we all camp together?” 

It was worth losing all the feeling in his arm when she socked him in the shoulder.

“Yeah it’s hilarious you fu-fuh-” she broke off in time to mutter a soft ‘ _godsdammit_ ’ before sneezing forcefully enough that Fjord could feel her shoulders shake against the wall. He shuddered, leaning away and shaking out his arm in mild disgust.

“You wanna cover your mouth maybe?”

“F-fuck off,” she sniffled, before sneezing again, mercifully into her elbow this time. She fixed him with a miserable look, eyes wet and red-rimmed, and he was surprised at the sudden pity that welled in his chest.

“Well,” he said, clearing his throat, “don't forget we're not strangers. If you need somewhere to crash for a night, get your breath back, you know where I am.” It was hard to tell if Beau's face actually softened a bit, or if her eyes were just puffy. He grinned. “Y’know, I don’t mind bunking with Jester for a night or two. Take her off your hands?”

He knew he’d said something wrong immediately, at the tightening in Beau’s shoulders and the way her expression immediately went flat. “I’m _fine_ ,” she said stiffly. “You don’t need to - it’s fine.”

Fjord, at least, knew when he was fighting a losing battle with someone else’s bottled-up issues. It was one of Beau’s favorite things about him. “Alright,” he said breezily, pushing off from the wall and stretching with a grunt. “Just a suggestion.”

“I -” Beau hesitated a moment, working her lip between her teeth. “Thanks, I guess,” she muttered finally.

“Sure,” Fjord said easily, a suitably bored expression already on his face. “Think I’m gonna go grab breakfast, if Nott hasn’t already torn through the whole kitchen. You coming?”

“Nah,” Beau said, sniffing wetly. She grabbed the end of the sash around her waist, scrubbing the soft fabric furiously across her leaking nose and eyes.

Fjord paused the top of the stairs, ear twitching in amusement. “Shouldn’t do that,” he said.

“Why?” She demanded, glowering at him from behind her makeshift handkerchief. “You care if I’m gross all of a sudden?”

“Naw,” Fjord said, raising an eyebrow. “Your clothes are just covered in dog hair.”

Beau froze, staring at the length of now uncomfortably wet silk. “I’m taking a bath,” she growled, pushing past Fjord on the stairs as he nearly bit his damn tongue off trying to keep from laughing out loud.

—

“Beau,” Jester said, with an equal mix of concern and teasing, “you’re sick again.”

Beau groaned quietly, rolling over from where she’d apparently failed to hide a sneezing fit into the folds of her pillow. It’s her fault, she should have ducked out onto the balcony for some “fresh air” like she usually did so she could have an allergy attack in peace, but instead she’d laid there with one eye open, watching silently as Jester sat cross-legged on her bed and combed the little knots from her hair. Like a huge weirdo.

“I’m fine, Jes,” she said. “Just tired.”

Jester sighed heavily, narrowing her eyes across the room. Her ear flipped once, like an annoyed cat. “I’m not stupid, Beau.”

“I know you’re not.” Beau pushed herself up onto an elbow. Her nose still itched like a motherfucker and she stubbornly resisted the urge to scrub at it.

“Well then don’t act like you think I am,” Jester huffed. Her tail flicked against the sheets behind her; just annoyance, not the furious lashing it did when she was pissed, but it made Beau feel appropriately guilty all the same. She muttered an apology that turned into a cough and Jester softened again. “You don’t have to pretend you’re okay, Beau. It’s just you and me.”

Her smile was dangerously inviting so Beau looked absolutely anywhere else. Nugget sat perched at the foot of Jester’s bed, his tail thumping happily as soon as Beau glanced his way. It was undeniably adorable, but gods she could _see_ the fur flying off of him, and it made her entire chest itch painfully. She rolled back over, pressing her face to her pillow.

“Beau,” Jester sing-songed gently

“Mmmph.”

The room was quiet for a moment, and then Beau heard the tell-tale _thump_ of feet on the floor. The thought barely processed through her stuffed-up head before her mattress jolted beneath the added weight of an entire tiefling. Jester swung a leg over her hips, straddling her purposefully and grabbing her face in her hands.

“You can be a pain in the ass all you want,” she said seriously, despite the sparkle of mischief in her purple eyes, “but I am still going to take care of you whether you like it or not.”

She rubbed her thumbs lightly against Beau’s cheeks before leaning down and pressing the tiniest kiss to the tip of her nose. Beau made a small noise in the back of her throat and knew that her face was red from more than just allergies.

“Jes…” Beau sighed. She leaned into the touch, just an inch, and Jester’s eyes crinkled in delight, her head dipped a little lower.

There was a faint sound, like a bubble popping, and then Jester toppled forward with a yelp as Nugget blinked into existence directly on top of her. Beau groaned loudly as the weight of the tiefling and the dog landed directly on her chest, and then groaned again as she felt Nugget’s claws scrabble against her shoulders and his tongue start to lick itchy trails up the side of her neck.

Jester laughed in delight, wriggling herself out from under the dog and wrapping both him and Beau in a tight hug. “Nugget and I will _both_ take care of you,” she said, and pecked Beau on top of the head. 

And Nugget’s claws were still digging painfully into Beau’s skin, and her nose was already running, and she knew she was getting next to no sleep tonight, but Jester’s arms were warm, and Nugget was a grounding weight on her chest, and both of them were looking at her with such undisguised fondness that it was hard to breathe for a very new reason.

“Just for tonight,” she grumbled, but it was less than half-hearted. Jester laughed, and her fingers found Beau’s hair, and even with Nugget snuffling loudly in her ear Beau found the most comfort she’d had in years.

—

“Hey,” Beau called, pounding her fist on Caleb’s door a reasonable number of times before just shoving it open, “Jester wants to know if you’ve seen- oh.”

There was no Caleb in the room, she noticed first, but there was Fjord, sitting on the edge of the little library table with his bare legs dangling casually and a book open on his lap. He glanced up long enough to give Beau a nod of acknowledgment before going back to reading. “Caleb’s in the washroom, if that’s what you’re lookin’ for.”

Beau frowned, glancing around the combination library and wizard suite, and found its only other occupant unconscious at the foot of a bookshelf, paws splayed out and tongue poking from between sharp puppy teeth.

“Why is Jester’s dog in yo- Caleb’s room?” Beau asked, crossing the room to kneel a close but safe distance away. For once he didn't seem to have the slightest interest in her.

“Hmm? Caleb let him in,” Fjord said, an affect of incredible boredom in his voice.

“Since when does Caleb like dogs?” She questioned, reaching out tentatively and snapping her fingers into one of his long ears. He didn’t even twitch. “Nugget, come on already.”

“Guess they’ve grown on him,” Fjord said with a shrug, not even looking up. He licked a finger and turned the page as Beau finally just grabbed the dog by the scruff and shook him roughly a few times. His head lolled back and he opened his mouth in a wide, tongue-curling yawn before falling limp again.

Beau frowned in confusion, reaching out to lift one of his paws and watching as it fell with a heavy thump and zero reaction aside from Nugget’s sleepy whuffling. She sat back on her knees, fixing Fjord with an accusatory glare. “What the hell did you do to my dog?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Your dog?”

“ _Jester’s_ dog,” She corrected firmly. “Our dog. Shut the hell up”

Fjord’s lips quirked in amusement as he went back to attentively studying the page in front of him. “Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said finally. “He’s been real well behaved. Hardly even remembered he was in here, to be honest.”

She gave him a withering look. “Look I’m only even here because I told Jester I’d go find him.” So she’d stop pacing around their room and shooting Beau these sad, wide-eyed looks and worrying loudly that maybe he’d run away and got hit by a cart or eaten and _should we go look for him, Beau?_

“You’re welcome to take him back if you want,” Fjord shrugged. He glanced up briefly as Nugget gave a grumbly snore. “Might need to carry ‘im though”

Just the idea made her want to sneeze. “No that’s uh - that’s fine,” she muttered. “I mean, dumb dog can sleep wherever he wants. I just told Jes I’d make sure he wasn’t dead.”

“Suit yourself,” Fjord said easily. He turned another page, then looked up again. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind if you took something back for Jessie.”

“What?” Beau got out, before there was a small _mmrp_ from her side, and she turned in time to see Frumpkin rub his head along her hip, eyes closed to slits in contentment. He sat down with a loud purr and Beau snorted a laugh. “You’re such a shithead,” she muttered, and Fjord smirked without looking up. Frumpkin batted gently at the ends of her sash.

She pushed herself halfway to standing and then hesitated. At her feet, Nugget sighed and twitched an oversized paw. She wasn’t Jester, she reminded herself, she didn’t think he needed to be tucked in every night or else he’d be sad. He’s a dog. He’s not even _her_ dog.

She glanced up briefly to make sure Fjord’s eyes were elsewhere before leaning down and pressing the swiftest kiss to the soft top of his head.

“Be good,” she said lamely. She stuck Frumpkin under one arm, sprang to her feet, and disappeared down the hallway before she could catch Fjord’s fond huff of amusement.

Jester’s little gasp of delight when Beau plunked the cat down on her bed was adorable - and cut short as Frumpkin almost immediately fled to Beau's mattress instead.

“Frumpkin!” Jester cried. “Don't be mean!”

Beau sighed and scritched his ears while he nuzzled her shoulder and blissfully ignored Jester’s inviting kissy noises. “Your bed probably smells like Nugget. Maybe he doesn’t like that.” Frumpkin gave a small _mmrp_ of what Beau thought might be agreement. _You and me both, buddy_ , she thought, stroking his neck.

“Oh,” Jester said, glancing down at her sheets and their generous coating of tawny fur. “I didn’t think of that.”

She pouted a moment, tail flicking from side to side, before sighing and plastering the cheery smile back on her face. “Well, goodnight Beau! Goodnight Frumpkin!” She snapped the lamp off and flopped back into her pillows, tugging her blankets up to her chin until she was just a ball of softness on the other side of the room.

Beau forced herself to wait one, two breaths before sitting up as nonchalantly as she could. “Hey, um, you can come over here, if you want.”

She heard more than saw the shuffling of blankets as Jester sat up. “Really?”

“I mean, you’re used to sleeping with Nugget, so-”

“You can just say you want to cuddle, Beau,” Jester interrupted with a cheeky wiggle of her shoulders, “I don’t mind.”

Beau loved Jester to the ends of the earth, but sometimes she said things like that with a wink and a teasing - never serious - voice and Beau wanted to strip all the sheets off her bed and go sleep in the hallway for the rest of the year. Just for the sake of her own heart. “Right,” she managed finally, voice strained only a little.

Jester was quiet for a moment. “I was just kidding,” she said finally, voice softer this time. “You can switch beds with me, if you want?”

There were a lot of answers Beau could have given. Lots of sincere ones. Like, _I’m pretty sure I’d asphyxiate to death if I slept in your bed_ , or _We haven’t shared a bed in weeks and I wish I didn’t miss it but I do_ , or _I really need you to take the hint because I still can’t say it out loud_.

“Nah,” she said instead, patting the mattress beside her, “there’s enough room.”

Jester grinned broadly, springing from her bed and practically launching herself into Beau’s arms. Frumpkin yowled as he was squashed unceremoniously between the two.

“Sorry Frumpkin!” Jester squeaked, backing off enough that he could wriggle loose and move to a safer hideout in the crook of Beau’s knee. Jester stroked his head apologetically and after a moment of sulking he gave her a reluctant purr. Just one more member of the house who couldn’t stay mad at Jester.

“Scooch over,” Jester said, digging an elbow into Beau’s side. Beau grunted and shoved her back gently, eliciting a yelp of indignation before she rolled over obligingly.

“Try not to put a horn through my eye,” she muttered, wrapping her arms around Jester’s back and tucking herself into the other woman’s warmth.

“Try not to snore so loud you wake up Yasha again,” Jester replied, tipping her head to kiss Beau’s temple before snuggling back into the blankets. Her tail hooked its way around Beau’s ankle and settled there, a warm and comfortable weight.

After a few minutes, Frumpkin crept back up the quilt to snuggle up against Jester’s stomach. Jester made a soft, happy noise in her chest, whispering some nonsense babytalk to him that Beau heard her cooing softly to Nugget most nights as she was falling asleep.

“You wanna know something dumb,” Beau mumbled against the top of Jester’s head. The tiefling stirred slightly, tilting her head up to peek at Beau in the low light.

“What?” She whispered back.

“I really fuckin’ miss that dog.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please talk to me about beau at fuzzy-face.tumblr.com


End file.
